Mistaken Identity Prompts Re-branding To Discovery Cube

Confusion between the California Science Center and Discovery Science Center prompts a re-branding. Discovery Cube is inspired by its identification with the iconic structure visible to anyone who has traveled the 5 freeway in Orange County. The problem became strikingly apparent when a gift intended to mark the arrival of the Columbia space shuttle was delivered to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, intended for the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

The key element in the re branding effort is the distinctive cube adjacent to the heavily trafficked interstate 5 in the heart of Orange County. Long branded as the Science Center it became known to those who frequented the area simply the “Cube” hence the new name.

PrintB3’s long standing successful relationship with existing clients in both Orange County and the Inland Empire led to our introduction to Discovery as a Grand Format Print Provider. Over the past few years Discovery has employed almost every category of print materials, formats, and scale of projects we have to offer.

There are a variety of graphic forms and display methods to meet the requirements of any venue. Movable roll up banners are free standing, easy to assemble, and may be used together to create backdrops and entryway isles. Portable graphic stands may be reused for a variety of events and static displays on campus. Where floral displays are temporal, your graphic investment may well serve you for many occasions.

The Cube banners as seen here were printed on mesh vinyl requiring several panels fabricated together as the widest mesh material available is 16 feet. Extensive fabrication design to support the safe attachment to the cube was imperative, allowing the safe install and removal. The banners are print on our 16 foot Vutek using the Fuji Sericol ink system ensuring a durable bright image for the term of the campaign. We have printed several Cube banners where the construction and install method has become routine.

PrintB3 won its place initially as a print provider at Discovery however the relationship has grown substantially on its customer service. Working closely with Discovery designers, keeping them abreast of the best fit for their imaginative designs has proved to be our most valuable asset.

If we haven’t worked together in some time drop us a line or call Toll Free 855.774.6823 and we can discusses some of the exciting ways we can add value to your projects.

How Can You Make Window Graphics Avoiding Common Blunders

In the real estate business curb appeal is a mantra for getting prospects in the door. There is the same opportunity when attracting traffic in a business. Store fronts compete for traffic just like selling a home in any neighborhood. You make the investment to position your business in the best location, now you want them in the door. A location with hundreds of square feet of window space exposed to passing traffic can be your traffic net. You have an opportunity to not only make your location inviting you may also make your messaging impress thousands of passing viewers.

Window dressing has been featured by many upscale department stores from the turn of the century employing frontage space as their primary enticement to shoppers. This space was deemed to be so valuable that celebrity artists like Salvador Dali were employed to adorn store windows. The hit BBC television series, Mr. Selfridge with his ground breaking department store illustrates the development of window dressing as an important and effective promotion and brand building vehicle.

Here is an example of the subtle and the informative both working together.

Today we can take advantage of the lessons we learned from these pioneering marketers with a variety of window graphics from the simple and straight forward, to the exotic, for a modest investment. The window graphics may be permanent, inviting and promoting our brand, or often changed to feature short term promotions.

Consultation with your print provider along with installers will assure you get the most from your window graphic installation. Taking a survey of your window space is the first step in planning and selection of your design and the ideal material for the install. There are a wide variety of materials designed for durability and effects. Some materials are even suited for installation by your own personnel.

For a successful presentation, here is a list of the top 7 things to avoid in your window graphic installation.

Avoid stretching the PVC film during installation. The film has a memory and, if stretched,may return to its original shape, causing it to lift off the glass later.

Use cast vinyl films are more expensive but they just last longer for demanding outdoor applications, such as window graphics.

Avoid using an over laminate on window graphics to be installed on surfaces with compound curves.

Use an edge sealer. If the edges of the film have been handled a lot or have been stretched both of which can adversely affect the film’s adhesive an edge sealer will help prevent them from lifting.

Keep at least .250 inches away from window gaskets to avoid peeling of the edges.

Prior to material selection apply a sample to the surface to determine how well it will perform. Most important of all, consult with your print provider before you make an expensive mistake.

Most important of all, consult with your print provider before you make an expensive mistake.

3D Printing Offers New Possibilities For Signage And Displays

Everyone is talking about 3D printing from a home made prosthetic hand for a growing child to custom chocolates. Scanning technologies and online 3D design software are making the promise of producing anything you can conceive a reality in three dimensions. Not quite yet, the Star trek style replicator is still a long way off. There are specific design guidelines and limitations to support a 3D printable object.

The availability of useful, affordable printers is growing. Ranging from a couple of thousand dollars for desktop models to a couple hundred thousand for the industrial grade employing many more materials. As with the development of all print technology the early adopters will pay a premium for the early versions. They will become faster, larger, and less expensive along with more capabilities in time. Industrial 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys today announced what it called the world’s first multi-color, multi-material printer capable of making objects of hard, soft and flexible polymers.The most common today are ABS plastics.

The channel letter is not going to be replaced by 3D printing, nor many of today’s print formats and uses. However the possibility is here to create museum exhibits, trade show displays, architectural decorative elements and many more applications. Designers of 2D will have to work up the learning curve using new tools that support 3D printing. There are several online free tools available today including “Sketchup” Google’s browser based tool.

Looking to grow our business we are always looking to new technologies and product applications to enhance the effectiveness of the products delivering your message. As our journey develops we will keep you up to date on what we have learned and how it may be made available.

We would love to hear your comments and ideas on how we may take advantage of this process. If you have any interest or experience with the process, drop us a line or add your comments to our blog post supporting this news letter.

Consider The Value You Have Developed With Your Suppliers And Clients Through The Years.

As we enter the 2014 business year its helpful to reflect on what made us successful in the past year. We can build on those things we found working for us and reworking those that did not. We all have colleagues, suppliers and clients that contribute to meeting our goals.

This past week we found some well know people articulate the things that are important to making us successful. I believe the thoughts Meryl Streep expressed when she accepted her award as an Icon in her business relates to all of us. We rely on each other, for any of the success we have had, and to continue to strengthen those relationships is our primary goal for 2014.

We are privileged to have been a key partner in making the presentation of the fast growing Palm Springs International Film Festival a success. The film fest has worked with PrintB3 now for more than five years developing many demanding graphic displays.

The festival relies on the full range of our design, print formats and fabrication expertise. Much of the work being used as photographic backgrounds where millions of images of Stars and guests appear will be circulated around the world online and in every print form used today.

The special relationship we have enjoyed with the Palm Springs International Film Festival has led to many more relationships in and out of the film and event industry. Not to mention it can be a lot of fun working with the producers of such a prestigious event. Most of all it helps to keep in mind that our clients result is all that counts in the end. So on to the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and the many other projects that Printb3 clients have been relying on for years.

If we haven’t worked together in some time drop us a line or call Toll Free 855.774.6823 and we can discusses some of the exciting ways we can add value to your projects.

Versatility In Our Print Formats Is Limitless

Hi Teresa,
Thanks for all your help.
You guys are the best!!!! We appreciate you very much….
All our samples look great.
Also our bag made the cover of WWD today.
Here is a look…Thanks for your help..You printed that!!!!
Cher

Let’s consider the prospect of having to remove this vehicle wrap.

In this example there is a good case for removal and redesign. Goofs like this are not the only reason to consider the cost of removing vehicle wraps. Eventually they will all be removed and replaced. In some cases the graphic is changed frequently where the changeover time can substantially impact total campaign costs.

A lot of thought goes into the decisions made when designing an advertising program for your fleet. However the selection of the materials and ink systems can have a substantial effect on the total cost of the project.

Planning before you proceed with the project should involve the installers early in the process. Installers know better than most what materials will be best for your project. Prices vary greatly considering the variety of materials offered by print providers. The environment where the install will take place has an impact on how well the materials will conform to the surface.

3M the recognized pioneers in adhesives have distinct advantages in vehicle wrap applications. Labor costs of removal and installation of new graphics can often be the largest component of a vehicle wrap.

Consider the outfield wall surfaces in a ball field where the graphics adhere to a vinyl surface where they are subjected to intense environmental and physical abuse. These graphics are a real test for the materials, adhesives and an installer’s talent. Removal of the old graphics where the adhesive residue is tough to remove may contribute to the failure of the new graphics. Sponsors become reluctant to spend their advertising budget on peeling and failing graphics in view of thousands of fans.

Set the stage for a memorable Commencement ceremony this spring. Graphics will present a photo backdrop captioning the event for your student’s facility and their families.

Few events are more important than the achievement that a commencement ceremony celebrates. The students, families, alumnus, and faculty will be captured in photography and memories that rivals any prestigious event. Dressing up the venue whether on campus or not will caption the lasting images recorded and shared. Stages are one of the most important places where a backdrop featuring your important messaging branded with your unique school identity.

There are a variety of graphic forms and display methods to meet the requirements of any venue. Movable roll up banners are free standing, easy to assemble, and may be used together to create backdrops and entryway isles. Portable graphic stands may be reused for a variety of events and static displays on campus. Where floral displays are temporal, your graphic investment may well serve you for many occasions.

Where there is local or national news coverage of your commencement the value of recognizable graphic backdrops is even more important. The materials, print formats and presentations from PrintB3 are well known among event producers for their quality and striking impressions.

A special offering is available for a limited time on our newest banner stands with graphics included. The production artwork is also available for an attractive additional charge.

Complete stage backdrops like those found at film festivals and awards ceremonies work nicely to improve the ceremonial stage and the atmosphere of your commencement ceremony. These are also available with portable stands or installed by our expert s on an existing structure. Consultation with one of our customer service representatives on materials and print formats will help you produce an attractive and memorable atmosphere for your commencement events. Don’t wait any longer, let’s see what we can do to make this year’s class your contributing alumni of the future.

Designers in SoCal meet the challenge, no snow, no problem

The busy holiday season is over with our attention now focused on expanding our product offerings and services. Rich “JR” Nichols, long time veteran of the print and graphics world has joined us to help cover Orange County Ca. Our Customer Service Department has come up to speed with a new QuickQuote system to be even more responsive to our friends and clients.Watch movie online The Transporter Refueled (2015)

It’s not been all work here at PrintB3. We took time to run an entertaining winter contest for the best photo of a client with a snowman. The submissions were surprising. Expecting views of bundled up designers alongside cleverer erected and decorated snowmen our winner found a good match for our melted version.

Toni Knight the Marketing Director for the Sunrise Church just down the road in Southern California demonstrated her ingenuity and imagination. No snow at her disposal in the warm weather climate she resorted to the tools at hand. Toni went to work in Illustrator and conjured up this rendition of Frosty. Our panel just had to give her the prize, given graphic design is what drives our business. Congrats Toni.

Our Marketing Department is busy with the final touches on some special offerings in banner displays, banner stands and trade show hanging banner structures. Visit our website to keep up with the new offerings PrintB3.com and our FB page for news on happenings in the B3 world.

The film festival and event season came into full swing with the end of the year. Our growing festival family is keeping us on our toes. With added venues from airport service terminals to museum and theater stages were finding ourselves becoming part of the show. Minuteman press has nothing on PrintB3 when it comes to last minute requirements.

That’s our focus for 2013…….. more offerings with the most responsive service on the planet.

It’s not only Santa who is checking his list twice.

While some are winding down the approaching the holidays not so here at PrintB3. The season is in full swing beginning the first week of January with the Palm Springs International Film Festival. This is a challenging time for both the producers of the events as well as the print providers. Those glamorous photo shoots and video interviews all feature backgrounds featuring the festival sponsors.

These images are viewed millions of times all around the world featured in the film promotions and press releases. Not to mention the millions of shares through social media. Sponsors performance is critical to an events success and the grand format print providers are challenged to make them look great. Many of the venues and scheduled events are not cast in stone until the last minutes. Supporting sponsored events demands a lot attention to details with the flexibility to accommodate late changes and additions to the print work. The expectation for perfection is never mitigated by the lack of lead times.

Many of the festivals rely on a plethora of contract designers and producers leaving the coordination of art to print, material selection, color matches, etc. Designers may not be familiar with all the players in the process, with new talent changes from year to year. Often the continuity is provided by the printer while being taken for granted by those who are not immersed in the process. This proves an opportunity for those who are willing to spend their holiday shopping season checking and double checking the print list.